Highway Patrol launches Warrant Wednesdays

The Montana Highway Patrol has launched a new online tool designed to use public assistance to help law enforcement officers locate wanted fugitives.

Each Wednesday on its official Facebook page, the patrol will post the name and photo of a person with an outstanding arrest warrant who may pose a risk to public safety and/or whose warrant has been outstanding for an extended period of time. 

The new effort is called Warrant Wednesdays.

The first Warrant Wednesday entry features Robert Stokes, who is wanted in Lake County for failure to appear for a criminal endangerment sentencing as well as other offenses.

For more information, go to the Montana Highway Patrol’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/montanahighwaypatrol.

Members of the public who have information about the fugitives are encouraged to contact the patrol by calling 1-855-MHP-3777,  emailing MHPHQContact@mt.gov or by private Facebook message only, and are asked not to approach the person in question.

“Social media is an important tool that law enforcement agencies can use to help keep the public informed, but it’s also a great tool that allows people to help us protect public safety,” Colonel Tom Butler, chief of the Highway Patrol, said in a press release. 

“I encourage Montanans in every community of our state to connect with our official Facebook page. Warrant Wednesdays will certainly be a great addition to the useful information we post every day.”